In a resounding gesture of humanitarian internationalism, CITGO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, began shipping 12 million gallons of discounted home-heating oil for 45,000 low-income families’ and local social service organizations in Massachusetts the week of Nov. 27.

A similar program began in the Bronx this week and preliminary discussions regarding possible CITGO heating oil subsidies are taking place in Maine and other parts of the U.S. where blistering cold weather is a factor.

By Evan Sarmiento and Bryan G. Pfeifer
Boston

In a resounding gesture of humanitarian internationalism, CITGO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, began shipping 12 million gallons of discounted home-heating oil for 45,000 low-income families’ and local social service organizations in Massachusetts the week of Nov. 27.

A similar program began in the Bronx this week and preliminary discussions regarding possible CITGO heating oil subsidies are taking place in Maine and other parts of the U.S. where blistering cold weather is a factor.

"This gesture of generosity by President Chavez follows the constant attacks that the Bush administration continues to put out against the Chavez administration. The Bolivarian movement is about helping the less advantaged; it is about respect for every human being; it is about providing basic necessities to those that need it," said Jorge Marin of the MLK Jr. Bolivarian Circle-Boston.

Due to Big Oil’s price gouging and restriction on production, home heating oil is expected to increase 30 to 50 percent this winter. Therefore Venezuela's offer will help thousands of working class and oppressed people who would have been unable to adequately heat their shelter and thus die in the freezing cold.

The Massachusetts contract signing took place at a press conference Nov. 22 at Linda and Paul Kelly’s residence in Quincy, Massachusetts. The Kelly’s have three children, one with diabetes and Ms. Kelly has multiple sclerosis. They became eligible for the PDVSA oil subsidies because their state fuel assistance ran out last winter.

“He’s doing the right thing,” said Linda Kelly of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who helped broker the heating oil subsidies. Chavez first pledged this life-saving assistance in a meeting with Rev. Jesse Jackson in Caracas in August. “There were people who were going to freeze to death…This is huge,” said Kelly (www.boston.com).

The discounted heating oil will be available to Massachusetts households receiving federal fuel assistance who have used up their $550 annual federal subsidy. Families would pay about $276 for a 200-gallon shipment, a savings of about $184, lasting about three weeks.

“This program represents the fulfillment of the promise made to people in the United States by our President, Hugo Chavez,” said Venezuelan envoy Bernardo Alvarez Herera at the Quincy press conference. “We are committed to working for a hemisphere with less poverty and more development, whether by teaching 1.5 million adults to read in Venezuela or helping Massachusetts residents through a long winter.”

CITGO will deliver the oil and it will be distributed by Citizens Energy, a non-profit organization providing subsidized oil to Massachusetts residents. Then about 350 local dealers will deliver approximately 75 percent of the oil to local families. MassEnergyConsumer Alliance will distribute or sell the remaining quarter to homeless shelters, food banks, and low-income groups. Venezuela has arranged for 285,000 barrels to be shipped to Masssachusetts within the next few weeks at a 40 percent discount.

"Be it education, housing, health care, or heating oil, we are very proud of the actions taken by our Venezuean President, Hugo Chavez Frias. We encourage all that find themselves in need of fuel assistance to contact Citizen Energy and apply for this aid," added Marin.

All the major U.S. oil corporations were asked to participate in similar agreements; they all refused despite record-breaking profits in 2005 from reducing production to drive up prices during and after Hurricane Katrina and Wilma and billions received in federal subsidies. Most of Big Oil’s refineries, pipelines and other infrastructure lost in the hurricanes are going to be recouped through insurance as well.

According to Standard & Poor’s, Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil corporation, had it’s highest ever third quarter profit, $9.92 billion, up 75 percent from its’ 2004 third quarter. It also set an industry record of $100.72 billion in sales. BP-Amoco, Chevron-Texaco, Conoco-Philips, Marathon and Royal Dutch Shell also had record profits. These bloody profits have mostly gone to corporate executives and stockholders and reinvestment.

In contrast, President Chavez has vowed to set aside 10 percent of all the oil that CITGO refineries produce for Venezuela’s oil-for-the-poor program. Thus far Venezuela is providing subsidized or discounted oil to over 20 nations in South America, the Carribbean and beyond.

Big oil profits, the poor die

It is testament to the miserable state of affairs in the United States, where profits are placed before human beings, that an underdeveloped country like Venezuela, still struggling to industrialize after decades of neo-colonialism, is able to provide discounted oil.

Each year an average of 689 people die from Hypothermia, a preventable medical emergency caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, claims the Center for Disease Control in a report on Hypothermia-Related Deaths (www.cdc.gov).

Hypothermia-related deaths aren't simply an act of nature, unpreventable as rich politican’s would have us believe. A disturbing report on these deaths from the Southern Medical Journal revealed that 61.5 percent of hypothermia-related deaths were among African Americans last winter (www.sma.org/smj). The CDC confirmed the Journal’s findings, claiming that insufficient access to heat kills African Americans and Latin@’s in larger numbers than whites.

Bolivar's dream resurrected in South America

Venezuela’s gesture of genuine internationalism which embraces the working class and oppressed of the U.S., is fundamental to the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This document guarantees economics of solidarity and mutual aid, rather than free trade and neo-liberalism, which ransacks underdeveloped nations, advocating the theft of natural resources and putting profits in command, resulting in whole countries mired in poverty.

Mutual assistance is part of Venezuela's foreign policy. Venezuela has championed ALBA (Alternitiva Bolivariana para las Americas), as an alternative to the FTAA.

Chavez’s “Petropopulism,” as the corporate press calls it, threatens the very essence of neo-colonialism in South America as it embraces integration, development and hemispheric unity as opposed to wholesale imperialist plundering.

The U.S. and Big Oil is, of course, worried over these developments, claiming that Chavez uses "oil as a weapon" to undermine U.S. foreign policy.

Venezuela is not using oil as a weapon, but is using it within the context of South American humanitarian integration and “21st century socialism,” attempting to encourage U.S client states out of the influence of imperialism.

Comments

Recently I talked to my friend from Venezuela about Hugo Chavez. She told me that she didn't like him and neither did her family or any of her friends. When I asked her why, she talked about how he was taking away land (from the rich) and giving it to the poor ("its bad because he is doing it without their permission!" she said). This seems like another example of good practices by Chavez.

It should be noted that the United States backed two coups against Chavez. The individuals who carried out the coup attempts were trained at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. The SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.
Other graduates of the SOA have become dictators in countries like Guatemala.

Chavez is trying to take from the rich and help the poor in this country. Bush is trying to take from the poor and help the rich in this country. Chavez has been elected by vast majorities in three elections. Bush has assumed the office in two highly suspect elections. Chavez has united latin america behind the goal of self determination and has helped thousands of poor people. Bush has invaded two countries, caused two coups, and is responsible for torture and murder of innocent civilians. Chavez is the antithesis of Bush. Venezulea is the hope for the future.The US is no the inforcer of terror and torture.

I'm glad Indymedia picked up on this story, finally.
As much as I thank Mr. Chavez for helping out our city, the authors of this piece overstate their case a bit much: "Therefore Venezuela's offer will help thousands of working class and oppressed people who would have been unable to adequately heat their shelter and thus die in the freezing cold."
Heating companies, suck as they do in every way shape and form, do not generally shut off heat in the dead of winter. A landlord might do that (as I had happen to me) but the power companies, I think, are all too happy to make people go into massive debt and eventually become homeless-- not just shut off their heat and freeze them to death right away.

No country or government is the "hope for the future" as brad says. People are the hope of the future, we are the future. We can't have real selfdetermination if governments and other people are determining it for us.

Here is a very interesting article about how Venezuela is moving towards a system of nest council style democracy where the people and not Chavez will take power, through the Ministry for Popular Participation.

I did not mean the country of venezulea is the hope for the future, rather that what the people are doing, with very little, in venezulea are the hope for the future. There is a tendency of anarchists to discredit anything done by governments, even participatory democratic ones. I wonder what the future would be like without people coming together to build social institutions to cooperatively fix problems. Look at the albert link, even this die hard anti authoritarian thinks the bolivarian revolutions is headed in the right way. And yes it is a country.

i'm as much an anarchist as anyone, but i think it's kind of obvious that "nest council style democracy" was never attempted in the soviet union. the soviet union would never help poor people in the united states- in fact, all it did was make people poor all across eastern europe. i definitely have problems with venezulea, like any government that isn't based on 100% direct democracy, but you can't pretend that the venezulean government is just a fascist communist dictatorship.

Unfortunately, he has cracked down severely on the freedom of the press in Venezuela. For example, they have passed new laws making it illegal to "disparage the state" and have prosecuted at least one political opponent.

There are also many reports of political dissidents going missing, just like in the old days.

Don't fall for his Bolivarian revolution bullshit. This guy is setting himself up to be a dictator for life.

No. Actually he is setting himself up to give all power to the people, he understand that the US/CIA will prolly kill him, therefore he is trying to build a direct democracy that will function without him or any leader...that’s the idea...we will see if it succeeds or not. See above article called "Venezuela's path" for more on this.

Don't forget to mention that people who signed the petition to have him removed from office have since faced retribution, including getting fired from jobs, being arrested, and "dissapearing".

Also don't forget to mention that the referendum election used electronic voting machines built by a company called "Smartmatic" that had zero experience.

Also don't forget to mention that 19 people will killed on election day by Chavez supporters.

Think of it this way:
Would you accept the results as "democratic" If George Bush had hired Halliburton to build electronic voting machines for a national election?
If prominent Demoncrats had since been arrested or had dissappeared?
If the government passed laws banning the press from criticizing the government?
If Republicans had murdered 19 Democrats?

"Don't forget to mention that people who signed the petition to have him removed from office have since faced retribution, including getting fired from jobs, being arrested, and "dissapearing". Also don't forget to mention that the referendum election used electronic voting machines built by a company called "Smartmatic" that had zero experience. Also don't forget to mention that 19 people will killed on election day by Chavez supporters."

Where are you citing you're "facts" from? Some sources would help to make you're claims be more believable. Links, books, newspapers?

actaully, I don't believe he has cracked down on freedom of the press. I have a lot of friends in
Venezulea that are on both sides. Some are high class rich folks and they go out and bash Chavez all the time- like someone said prior- the whole private media is terrified of him and therefor bash the shit out of him. We have to keep in mind though- the media is a privated business, and Chavez is for the nationalization of most things and if he wishes to nationaliz the media and have it as a public commodity that isn't "cracking down" on the press- but more liberating the press and giving it to the people. Therefor, I would generally say, that the "cracking down" is simply an attempt by the private press to stand against nationalization... Keep in mind too that true freedom has nothing to do with economics. to say that cracking down on multinationals and neoliberalism, when it rears it's ugly head by trying to buy out the government, is tyranny is a far cry from the truth.

Now, I understand where a lot of anarchists are coming from, but to the same degree was it not Proudhon who said that we cannot completely overthrow all forms of authority overnight- because the revolution will then be crushed... But we have to make it a reasonable transition- a natural evolution.

Chavez, I feel, is part of this natural transition and there for should be applauded for going in the right direction.... trying to create something that the people can truley inherit.

was it not proven that the people killed on election day were not killed by chavez supporters but were actually killed by the opposition in an attempt to frame them? Perhaps everything I have studied very closely is wrong. and all the accounts of people that were standing RIGHT there... maybe they are all lying!

"Chavez is for the nationalization of most things and if he wishes to nationaliz the media and have it as a public commodity that isn't "cracking down" on the press- but more liberating the press and giving it to the people"

That means the press is NOT independent of the government, which is a disaster in a supposed democracy.

From "Venezuela's Media Crackdown", Economist Magazine, March 10 2005:
"...The government's cure for media bias is worse than the disease. The combined firepower of the legislature, judiciary, the public prosecutor and even the army is being deployed. Radio and television are now subject to a “social responsibility” law, purportedly aimed at protecting children from inappropriate programmes. It allows the government to impose heavy fines and/or revoke broadcasting licences for such offences as information “CONTRARY TO NATIONAL SECURITY”. It has been criticised by international press-freedom watchdogs and the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. The commission stated that the law's “vague terminology” and “potentially excessive penalties” could intimidate journalists and media companies into failing to report matters of public interest.
...
Worse may be to come. A new penal code, awaiting Mr Chávez's signature, would increase the penalty for defamation to 12 months in jail and ELIMINATE THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE. To “cause panic” by spreading “false information” by any means, including e-mail, would carry a sentence of up to five years."

From a May 12th Economist article:
"...little by little, freedoms are being chipped away. A new media law has prompted some self-censorship at opposition radio and television stations, according to Teodoro Petkoff, a newspaper editor. Last month, a public prosecutor charged Carlos Ayala, Venezuela's best-known human-rights lawyer, with involvement in the coup against Mr Chávez. The charge is specious: Mr Ayala not only opposed the coup but, during it, secured the release of a detained chavista legislator. Opposition supporters who signed the petition calling for last year's referendum complain of subsequent discrimination, such as being fired from public-sector jobs or being denied passports."

yah, i understand what your saying about the media, but to the same degree i don't know how comfortable i am with citing the economist as a source... you know what I'm saying. i'm not suggesting that it's not true, and I am not suggesting that amnesty international is not right... .but i am more suggesting that things can be spun in certain lights that distort them.

for instance, where i was talking about the nationalization of the media- i probably should have atriculated myself better. I actually agree that this seems a bit heavy handed.... but to the same degree the media companies are owned by two families there. Political discourse and slander are also two very different things- he is disallowing slander against public and private citizens (similar to what it is here- not completely the same) and he is basicly forming an FCC there. It isn't like he is shutting down tons of independent newspapers of anything. there is only one account of this, and it was because they were backed by the us, and was basicly part of the u.s's propaganda mouth piece....

I think that the idea of not government control of the media, which he never suggested, but public control of the media is the most beautiful idea... and perhaps the mild regulations on slanderous speech (which is saying something that is the anti-thesis of truth and knowing you are lying to disfigure their image), isn't amazing... it's still permissible in my book.

"The issue is not one of Chavez suppressing dissent, but of guarding against a powerful body using illegitimate means to undermine a democratic government."
sorry for the misunderstanding.

Yes, HRW does have some criticisms of Venezuela. They have two pages of complaints, while the complaints against the US numbered 63 pages. Check it out. Some of HRW's concerns of media were made against proposals that were never made into law and enacted. If (.) contests that Venezuela is becoming totalitarian because of the complaints of HRW, then the US has been far more totalitarian for decades.

PS - Chavez just won 100% control of the Venezuelan congress. 75% of the voters abstained. The opposition refused to participate due to concerns over protecting their supporters from retribution.

In fairness, the opposition is completely inept and would have been probably have been crushed in a fair election. However, they do have a legitimate point. After the last referendum, Chavez ally Luis Tascon violated voter privacy by publishing a list of everyone who signed the petition to recall Chavez.

After expanding the supreme court to pack it with his justices, Chavez now has complete control over all three branches of the government.

Now Chavez plans to change the constitution to allow himself to be elected for more than two terms. Hurray for proto-dictators!

Voters in this country made it basically a one party government also. Is it then totalitarian? FDR also tried to pack the court and did expand term limits for his own gain, yes it is a crappy way to grab more power, hardly totalitarian. The media rules are needed and you tend to over blow them. The '92 government was hardly democratic. This election was monitored and was 100% democratic, so if the people want a one party government, it is totalitarian to say they cannot have it.

it's hard to say that the government in 1992 was democratic... if you mean a puppet democracy- then i suppose you would be right. I agree that it is a shame that there aren't more parties there, but there were and they chose to abrtain in "protest." Quite frankly, it wasn't potest- it was to get international recognition and try to discredit Chavez.... It's not like they were STOPPED FROM VOTING. they abtained- it was THEIR CHOICE. And, how could you criticize the voting machines? The other side didn't like them- so he took them out. I don't see anything wrong with that... He did what they wanted didn't he? I don't see what is so undemocratic.
I think calling Hugo Chavez a dictator is a failure to recognize the forces at play here. If you concider him a 'dictator", then concider the definition of the word, and concider that it wasn't by his own willing, as I said before- he did not STOP them. It was by the willing of the opposition party who knew they didn't have enough strength to defeat him so they tried to discredit him in any way possible.

They failed.

Look beyond silly politics- because this is what is going on there.

and, when asked, many of the people that did't vote were going to vote for Chavez, there is actually a poll going on about this... They knew about the opposition boycott because they knew that Chavez would win.

Why bother arguing with right-wing trolls when there are much more important debates to be had over support for Chavismo?

From what I've heard, the situation at this point is more that the revolutionary movement is protecting Chavez from the reactionaries than that Chavez is protecting the revolutionary movement. Why bother? Civil war, upsetting as it may be, would be a surer path to revolution than inconsistent, occasionally heavy-handed state repression of the bourgeoisie. The constitutional strategy was excellent but from things I hear it's taken a back burner to a cult of personality.

Do you really think the democrats apply as a second party? We have one party, the corporate party. If the people of Ven do not want a one party system, why do they continue to vote that way? And don't say intimidation, there is no way to intimidate 23 million people.

i dont think this argument needs to be fought on the grounds of America, but it you want to move there then why not?

the republicans can throw people in jail for no reason at will, they can have their cronies on you in no time with JTTF and the SS.. i know some of the victims, i am one of them.
and the democrats are a different side of the same coin....

The main difference here is symantics, rhetorical almost... Chavez is not a republican, and he is a badass revolutionary, I've written hundred of pages about what is going on there and it cannot be compared to America in any way shape and or form....

but lets not get reactionary, why don't we let time flow it's meandering course and we'll take it day by day and see who is right- i think it's a bit to early to tell.

Thanks for the article, but I really don't think the CITGO logo belongs on the webpage. What purpose does it serve? That's a big reason I come to Indymedia: to escape unsolicited, profit-driven image saturation that tries to grab us everywhere else (for ex on the floor, walls, and trains in the T stations ). For real.

I'd say "lefties" would be backing a man who gives his people medical, dental, housing, jobs and other programs our government negects to give us.
"Righties" wouldn't give the people anything. They'd ignore you like the plague. (What Bush is doing now!)
Get real.
And for our so called democracy? Diebold, ESS and Karl Rove made sure Bush won his second "selection"! Really!
Chavez may have changed Venezuela's constitution. And nationalized the oil companies. For the majority of Venezuleans? Watch them re-elected Chavez. And they will.

"Chavez may have changed Venezuela's constitution. And nationalized the oil companies. For the majority of Venezuleans? Watch them re-elected Chavez. And they will."

They said the same thing about Mussolini.

Way to go fascism!

"Chavez is a bad ass revolutionary"? Is it revolutionary to dish out oil contracts to political cronies? Chavez is an oil oligarch just like his predecessors. All he's done is convince useful idiots otherwise.

As for all the great wonderful social programs, why don't oil proceeds go directly to the people through a trust fund, like in Alaska?

Why does it have to get funneled into huge, wasteful, and corrupt public works projects that ultimately leave the people worse off?

Why not just give them cash? Oh wait. That would mean that Chavez couldn't wield power and enrich his cronies. Oops. My bad.

Only if americans understood this administration (BUSH/ NEO-CONS) was not designed to help you, me or any other american? It's out to destroy the middle class (Rich-Poor) like Mexico and bring in Martial Law style police state! Sadly it takes another foreign President's (Good Men) to do the job our so called Feds are paid by us to do?

For all you car drivers out there.Please buy Citgo gas only.Boycott all US oil co.'s.www.citgo.com to find the Citgo station near you.This will help Hugo and Venezuela.Send a message to US oil co.'s that you support Hugo and Citgo.Please boycott ExxonMobil the worst Corp.in the world.Sign the petition at website above.Citgo also sells home heating oil so makesure you buy only from Citgo.If millions of Americans buy only Citgo oil you can be sure this will hurt US oil co.'s and piss off Bush!Join the revolution now.I can't believe no one is jumping on this.Spread the word.Tell everyone you know who buys oil.It couldn't be easier.All this talk and no action.You finally have an easy way to make one hell of a major impact on the US economy.Consumers united will defeat US oil co.'s!!

The cult of the personality continues with yet another paste up hero. What a handsome man! And they make him look so tall and strong.

What is it with Marxist wanting to worship the handsome man?

It is so obvious that Chavez is a demagouge. He is so clearly not going to ever give up power.

Am I wrong?

Just because one government is currupt (say ours) doesn't mean that governments opposed (say Cuba or Venezuela) are also currupt in their way.

I read that Chavez has extended the time that he can stay in power until 2029. What a hero. Get out the black magic marker and color in his hair. He really does look good on a poster. But so do most healthy grown up men when photographed and depicted by someone who is trying to complement them.

Admit it, Chavez is yet another garden variety opportunitist front man for a drug mafia that has now, through money and power, thugged their way into power. How is Chavez that much different than our version of the same kind of man, Cheney?